Lena Waithe’s Rising Voices Fights Racial Disparities in Filmmaking as DEI Efforts Shatter Across the US: ‘The Onus Is on Us’

As Rising Voices closes out its fourth season, the diversity initiative seeks to smash racial disparities in filmmaking by providing diverse creatives with the resources and mentorship needed to be successful in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, attacks against DEI-driven efforts remain steady across the country.

“The onus is on folks like us to create programs, because we also know what we need to break in and to stay in,” Lena Waithe told TheWrap. “I think anyone that sees it as a threat — I try not to even focus attention on that, because the threat is just inclusivity. The threat is stories being told that ordinarily wouldn’t be.